Idris Elba’s Bloodsport and Will Smith’s Deadshot are the main marksmen of Task Force X in 2021’s The Suicide Squad and 2016’s Suicide Squad, respectively, but though their skills and backgrounds are similar, one is slightly deadlier than the other. The Deadshot and Bloodsport DC show in these films represent their comic-book abilities well, leading viewers to speculate about the potential results of a Bloodsport vs. Deadshot duel to the death. David Ayer’s Suicide Squad introduced various high-profile but severely underused DC villains, including Killer Croc and Deadshot.
Although most of the main characters survived until the end of the film, James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad featured a revamped lineup, with different characters filling the same roles. Hence, King Shark replaced Killer Croc as the team’s muscle, Polka-Dot Man replaced El Diablo as the powerful outcast with a tragic background, and Bloodsport replaced Deadshot as the leading sharpshooter. Since The Suicide Squad takes a free approach to DCEU canon, the sequel didn’t depend on the events of its 2016 predecessor but it also didn’t overwrite them. James Gunn’s movie sought to fix its mistakes, as evidenced by the higher body count and the improved dynamics between the characters.
Harley Quinn, Rick Flag, and Captain Boomerang returned, but with Will Smith unable to return to Deadshot, James Gunn brought in Idris Elba to portray Bloodsport, DC antihero and tragic, extremely deadly war veteran. Both Robert DuBois (Bloodsport) and Floyd Lawton (Deadshot) are incredibly strong, agile, and durable, and they can’t seem to miss a shot. While the different missions they participated in may tip the balance, it seems one of the two marksmen has been more effective at their job. Here’s how their criminal careers and skills compare.
Bloodsport vs. Deadshot: Weapons
Long-range weapons are the bread and butter of both Bloodsport and Deadshot. In Suicide Squad, Deadshot is put to the test at Belle Reve with a session of target practice. He uses all the weapons available and showcases complete mastery over all of them. However, his favorite weapon is his wrist-mounted gun. Ayer’s 2016 Suicide Squad features Deadshot is aided by a high-tech eyepatch that allows him to automatically target his opponents, read the environment, and make complex calculations in fractions of a second.
Bloodsport, on the other hand, prefers to use a variety of custom-made weapons he can summon and modify on the go. This modular and collapsible arsenal can turn simple firearms into shotguns so powerful that they can incapacitate King Shark and can create different weapons such as a spiked mace, a flamethrower, a sword, and his personal favorite, the slingshot gun. Bloodsport doesn’t have any targeting aid. Instead, he wears a helmet and relies on his natural accuracy. One can conclude that Bloodsport has the upper hand when it comes to weapons, though there’s the possibility that he could become too reliant on his custom arsenal.
Bloodsport vs. Deadshot: Accuracy
Evidently, the strong forte of both Bloodsport and Deadshot is their accuracy. During his introductory scene in Suicide Squad, Deadshot is able to bounce a bullet off a reflective panel and effortlessly kill his target. In the aforementioned scene at Belle Reve, Deadshot is able to shoot every target dead-center in the forehead with every single gun. He also mows down dozens of minions with only a handgun and his wrist-mounted gun. Most importantly, it’s Deadshot’s last-second shot at a falling bomb that defeats Enchantress.
Meanwhile, Bloodsport’s biggest feats in The Suicide Squad include taking down various opponents with his slingshot gun, killing a Corto Maltese soldier by shooting him in the eye amidst a storm, and electrocuting an unsuspecting rebel by shooting the table beside him so an electrical fan could fall on his bathtub. Most famously, Bloodsport was imprisoned for “putting Superman in the ICU with a Kryptonite bullet”, but the fact that he didn’t kill the Man of Steel suggests that either he missed the shot, or he didn’t actually want to murder him. Bloodsport cements his status as an expert marksman by hitting Peacemaker in the neck with a bullet that pierces straight through the one Peacemaker just shot. When it comes to the marksmanship of Bloodsport DC spared no effort in establishing that he’s just as good as Deadshot.
Bloodsport vs. Deadshot: Hand-To-Hand Combat
While Bloodsport and Deadshot are known for their accuracy with long-range weapons, they’re also incredibly strong and skilled in hand-to-hand combat. Deadshot takes a beating in Belle Reve at the beginning of Suicide Squad but is shown to be unscathed shortly afterward. Deadshot’s history with Batman also suggests he has been able to survive the Dark Knight’s brutal fights before, although the flashback where he’s captured by Batman proves that he’s barely able to defend himself against him.
Like Deadshot, Bloodsport didn’t get many chances to demonstrate his one-on-one combat skills in The Suicide Squad, but he does showcase his stealth kill skills when he and Peacemaker infiltrate the rebel base and murder everyone inside in increasingly creative ways. One scene, in particular, puts Bloodsport over Deadshot in regards to combat: when Bloodsport is captured alongside Peacemaker and Rick Flag, all three agree to hit their captors at the same time — a move which seems to result in instant death. Bloodsport also experiences a harsh beating in the third act of The Suicide Squad when he falls with the collapsing Jotunheim tower and still has enough stamina to (almost) kill Peacemaker and fight Starro. Who’s stronger, Bloodsport or Deadshot? For either Deadshot or Bloodsport, DC didn’t reveal too much in terms of melee skills. However, if the Bloodsport vs Deadshot Suicide Squad fight is a hand-to-hand duel, Bloodsport might have the advantage.
Bloodsport vs. Deadshot: Personality
Although both sharpshooters are similar even in their personalities, Suicide Squad depicts Deadshot as a much cockier and irritable anti-hero. He starts out as a bitter criminal whose only goal is to meet his daughter again, with no hesitation to disrespect Amanda Waller and Rick Flag. Before he’s imprisoned, Deadshot manages to manipulate his employers into paying him $2 million just by teasing them with calling off the hit, which proves that although he’s mostly driven by his father’s instincts, he also has an overly ambitious side. Deadshot’s character arc has him open up and consider his fellow anti-heroes, if not friends, then at least respectable colleagues.
In The Suicide Squad, Amanda Waller summarizes just how dangerous Bloodsport is by mentioning how he almost killed Superman, but Bloodsport’s behavior shows that he’s not really a mustache-twirling villain or a stone-faced assassin. Bloodsport showcases a more humble personality than Deadshot from the beginning, as he never loses his cool — not even when he’s confronted by Peacemaker and by his fear of rats. Bloodsport is constantly focused on the mission, but he’s also willing to deescalate the situation just to ensure that his colleagues are safe. For instance, he shoots King Shark only until he convinces him not to eat Ratcatcher 2, and he assures Ratcatcher 2 that he’s going to personally take her out of the mission alive and well. Unlike Deadshot, Bloodsport has a rocky relationship with his daughter and he’s clearly a less experienced father than Deadshot.
Bloodsport vs. Deadshot: Leadership
In both Suicide Squad and The Suicide Squad, Amanda Waller calls the shots, the comparable Rick Flag guides Task Force X, and each respective marksman leads the team. Neither Deadshot nor Bloodsport is obligated to do it, but they’re both naturally driven to keep the team afloat and push them to victory when all seems lost. Unfortunately for Deadshot, the circumstances are more volatile for his team, as Joker shows up to throw a wrench in the mission, Slipknot blows himself up, and Enchantress summons her brother Incubus to take over the world together. Bloodsport’s team is more close-knit and every member has a natural chemistry with each other, which helps him lead them more easily. Of course, Polka-Dot Man dies and Peacemaker goes rogue before killing Rick Flag, but Bloodsport takes the initiative to kill Starro despite Amanda Waller’s finger hovering over the detonator. He pushes the surviving members of Task Force X to reach the end of the mission with Starro defeated, Corto Maltese liberated, and Ratcatcher 2 safe and sound, whereas Deadshot is barely able to claim victory with his own last effort.
Bloodsport vs. Deadshot: Who Wins
Bloodsport vs Deadshot – who would win? Clearly, Deadshot and Bloodsport have very slight advantages and disadvantages over the other. Bloodsport could annihilate Deadshot with one of his custom weapons, but he would likely hesitate to do it if he doesn’t consider it necessary. Deadshot probably would struggle to beat Bloodsport in hand-to-hand combat or with melee weapons, but in the right circumstances and with the right motivations, Deadshot would likely murder Bloodsport before they could even meet face-to-face. Considering how cold-blooded assassins need to be to excel at their job, perhaps the humanity Bloodsport showcased in The Suicide Squad could play against him, making Deadshot the deadlier marksman.
Bloodsport vs. Deadshot vs. Peacemaker: Who Would Win?
The Bloodsport vs. Deadshot Suicide Squad fight would end much more quickly with Chris Smith aka Peacemaker joining the fray. Played by John Cena, Peacemaker is forced to become the primary muscle for the black ops squad Project Butterfly in James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad spinoff series Peacemaker. Throughout the series, Peacemaker exhibits similarly deadly skills as Deadshot and Bloodsport, but he also hesitates when having to shoot Butterflies disguised as children, who were instead dispatched by Vigilante. Though Peacemaker eventually kills his father Auggie Smith, also known as White Dragon, Peacemaker endangers himself and the entire team while struggling with this decision. In a chaotic firefight between Bloodsport, Deadshot, and Peacemaker, Deadshot might be the only one who won’t hesitate to take the kill shot. However, although Deadshot might be the most competent killer in this trio, Peacemaker’s helmets and powers can essentially nullify any advantage that Bloodsport or Deadshot might have.
Even if Peacemaker hesitates, just saying “activate sonic boom” while wearing the right helmet could instantly obliterate either Suicide Squad leader, and the resulting blue forcefield around Peacemaker would immediately protect him from whoever survives. Should Deadshot or Bloodsport shoot Peacemaker in the throat to prevent him from speaking and activating his helmets, there’s no assurance that this would kill or totally incapacitate Peacemaker, who already survived getting shot in the same spot by Bloodsport in The Suicide Squad. Forced into a tight corner, Peacemaker could still rely on his beloved Eagly to always have his back, which could easily turn the tide in Peacemaker’s favor. Bloodsport would hesitate to kill Eagly, and should Peacemaker’s sidekick get killed by Deadshot, this would only allow Peacemaker to push aside any apprehensions about killing his fellow exploited soldiers.
Will Idris Elba’s Bloodsport Appear In Peacemaker Season 2?
The upcoming Peacemaker season 2 might be the perfect way for Idris Elba’s Bloodsport to return to the DCEU. James Gunn has been quiet about the plot of Peacemaker season 2, although in discussing the season 1 finale, Gunn reveals a lot about Peacemaker’s emotional state. Peacemaker’s name has been cleared by Adebayo, he’s in a relationship with Emilia Harcourt, and he’s happily at home with Eagly and the former leader of the Butterflies. While Peacemaker is in a good place, he continues to be haunted by terrible hallucinations of his father Auggie. Should Bloodsport and Peacemaker meet again, Peacemaker’s emotional state could give Bloodsport the decisive advantage. In dire need of a father figure, Peacemaker would be unable to resist the natural leadership of Bloodsport, who could win the “fight” without firing a single shot. Indeed, Peacemaker was a very different man when he and Bloodsport first fought in The Suicide Squad. That said, Peacemaker’s best friend Vigilante complicates any interaction between Peacemaker and Bloodsport, as Vigilante would immediately take the kill shot if he thinks Peacemaker is in danger. It’s unclear if Bloodsport will appear in Peacemaker season 2, but it would undoubtedly be an interesting development.
Suicide Squad and The Suicide Squad dropped bombs when these films introduced Deadshot, Bloodsport, and Peacemaker into the DCEU, and the respective fates of these tragic soldiers could rest entirely on Peacemaker season 2. For now, DC is yet to announce an official release date for the second season. However, since the second season was green-lit before the Peacemaker season 1 finale aired, Peacemaker season 2 could start streaming by early or mid-2023. In any case, if neither Bloodsport nor Deadshot appears in Peacemaker season 2, they could instead make their return in Suicide Squad 3, which could finally give viewers the much-anticipated Bloodsport vs. Deadshot fight.
- DC League of Super-Pets (2022)Release date: Jul 29, 2022
- Black Adam (2022)Release date: Oct 21, 2022
- The Flash (2023)Release date: Jun 23, 2023
- Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023)Release date: Mar 17, 2023
- Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2022)Release date: Dec 21, 2022
About The Author
